Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Give James Reimer Longer Rest Time

The strange story of James Reimer's injury continues to roll on.The Toronto Maple Leafs' training staff has advised Reimer to stay off the ice for at least the weekend.

Hindsight makes everyone look like a genius, but the Leafs clearly have mishandled the situation. If they had just let him rest for longer than they did in the first place, than perhaps he would be back in the line-up already rather than being delayed once again. The Leafs should probably let him rest for longer than the weekend to make sure he's 100 percent.

The Leafs' schedule should allow for Reimer to come back at his own pace. After tonight in Boston, the Leafs face off against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and the St. Louis Blues next Thursday before taking on Ottawa next Saturday. I'm not saying those will be easy games, but Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens should be able to get the job done.

Speaking of Gustavsson and Scrivens, in Reimer's absence, they have done very well. Despite some inconsistent play by Gustavsson, the Leafs do have a winning record with him in net. Scrivens was spectacular in his NHL debut Thursday night in Columbus. Scrivens will be getting the start in net tonight again in Boston, and if he does well, you can pretty much start the rumors that Gustavsson will be on his way out.

If the Leafs rush James Reimer back, and they already almost have, they run the risk of him being injured more than he already is. They can't afford to lose him for much longer. He is no good to the Leafs out for the season.

For the past two weeks, we have been given news that Reimer might be able to start the next game only to be disappointed when we learned that there was another setback. The Leafs need to take advantage of the situation that they're in right now to let him rest. Once he is back in shape, the Leafs will be in a much better position.